Hearthstone 23.6 patchnotes and Battlegrounds changes: new hero, in-game reports, next arena card pool

Blizzard Entertainment shared a patchnotes for Hearthstone 23.6. This version of the game sets the stage for next expansion, Murder at Castle Nathria, updates the Battlegrounds, and mixes the Arena card pool.

Murder at Castle Nathria:

• 135 new cards, 10 legendaries
• New card type: Location. They can be played for an initial cost, and have an ability that can be activated for free on a player’s turn. Each activation costs 1 Durability and has a 1-turn Cooldown.
• New keyword: Infuse. An Infuse card triggers an ability when the card is in hand. After a specific number of friendly minions die, it transforms into a new powerful version.
• Launches on August 2

Battlegrounds

General Updates

• Darkmoon Prizes are back! From now until the next Battlegrounds Season, Darkmoon Prizes will appear in 25% of games. Several of the Darkmoon Prizes have been adjusted since their last appearance.
• The number of copies of each Tier 1 minion was reduced from 16 to 15.
• The following Battlegrounds Perks are being extended until the next Battlegrounds Season (instead of the next Standard expansion): Discover from 4 Heroes; Hero Early Access (if any Early Access eligible heroes are released in that time); and Advanced Stats. Visual Emotes will remain until the next Standard expansion, at which point all Battlegrounds Players will receive the base visual emotes. Stay tuned for more details on changes to Battlegrounds Perks and rewards before the next Battlegrounds season!

New hero: Lady Vashj (Armor Tier 1)

Ability: [1 Gold] Discover a Spellcraft spell of your Tier or lower. Passive: Your first one each turn is permanent.

Hero updates:

Bigglesworth:

• Hero Power will now give a Consolation Coin whenever a player dies with no minions.

Cariel Roame:

• Conviction now targets more minions at each rank: two random friendly at Rank 1; four random friendly minions at Rank 2; and all friendly minions at Rank 3.

Drek’Thar:

• Hero Power change. Old: Choose a friendly minion. It copies the Attack of your highest Attack minion until next turn. → New: Choose a minion. It copies the Attack of the highest Attack minion until next turn.

Guff Runetotem:

• Armor tier changed from 7 to 4
• Hero Power change. Old: [1 Gold] Give a friendly minion of each Tavern Tier +1/+1. → New: [2 Gold] Give a friendly minion of each Tavern Tier +3/+2.

Overlord Saurfang:

• Hero Power change. Old: Give +2 Attack to the next minion you buy this turn. (Upgrades each turn!) → New: Give +2 Attack to the next minion you buy. (Upgrades each turn!)

Sindragoza:

• Hero Power change. Old: Freeze a minion in Bob’s Tavern. Frozen minions get +2/+1 each turn. → New: Freeze a minion in Bob’s Tavern. Passive: At the end of your turn, Frozen minions get +2/+1.

Sneed:

• Armor tier changed from 7 to 1
• Hero Power change. Old: [2 Gold] Give a friendly minion: “Deathrattle: Summon a random minion of the same Tavern Tier.” → New: [1 Gold] Give a friendly minion: “Deathrattle: Summon a random minion of a lower Tavern Tier.”

Vanndar:

• Hero Power change. Old: Choose a friendly minion. It copies the Health of your highest Health minion until next turn. → New: Choose a minion. It copies the Health of the highest Health minion until next turn.

Y’Shaarj

• Hero Power change. Old: Start of Combat: Summon a minion from your Tavern Tier. Add a copy of it to your hand. → New: Start of Combat: Add a minion from your Tavern Tier to your hand. Summon a copy of it.

New minions

Tavern Tipper [Tavern Tier 1]

Silverback Patriarch [Tavern Tier 1, Beast]

Sparring Partner [Tavern Tier 2]

Kooky Chemist [Tavern Tier 2]

Yrel [Tavern Tier 2]

Atramedes [Tavern Tier 4, Dragon]

Wargear [Tavern Tier 4, Mech]

Tunnel Blaster [Tavern Tier 4]

Uther, the Lightbringer [Tavern Tier 6]

Minion pool updates:

• Shifter Zerus and Iron Sensei have been returned to the minion pool.
• Acolyte of C’Thun, Menagerie Mug, Unstable Ghoul, Budding Greenthumb, Screwjank Clunker, Prestor’s Pyrospawn, Defender of Argus, and Mechano-Egg have all been removed from the minion pool.

Minion updates:

Bannerboar

• Old: 1 Attack, 4 Health. At the end of your turn, play a Blood Gem on adjacent Quilboar. → New: 1 Attack, 3 Health. At the end of your turn, play a Blood Gem on adjacent minions.

Annihilan Battlemaster

• Old: 3 Attack → New: 5 Attack

Soul Devourer

• Old: Battlecry: Choose a friendly Demon. Remove it to gain its stats and 3 Gold. → New: Battlecry: Consume a friendly Demon to gain its stats and 3 Gold. Not a functional change.

Grease Bot

• Old: [Tavern Tier 4] 3 Attack, 6 Health. After a friendly minion loses Divine Shield, give it +1/+1 permanently. → New: [Tavern Tier 6] 4 Attack, 7 Health. Divine Shield. After a friendly minion loses Divine Shield, give it +3/+2 permanently.

New and Updated Darkmoon Prizes

• Players who are in the bottom half of the scoreboard are no longer more likely to get better Prizes
  
• Big Banana has been removed from the Darkmoon Faire Prize pool
• Banana Bunch and Mindflayer Goggles added

The Good Stuff

• Old: Give minions in Bob’s Tavern +2 Health for the rest of the game. → New: Give minions in Bob’s Tavern +1 Attack for the rest of the game.

I’m Still Just a Rat in a Cage

• Old: Double a minion’s Attack. → New: Give a minion +2 Attack, then double its Attack.

Great Deal

• Old: For the rest of the game, reduce the cost of upgrading Bob’s Tavern by (3) at the end of your turn. → New: Reduce the cost of upgrading Bob’s Tavern by (6).

The Bouncer

• Old: Give a friendly minion +5/+5 and Taunt. → New: Give a friendly minion +6/+6 and Taunt.

B.A.N.A.N.A.S.

• Bananas now have a 50% chance to be a Big Banana (no change to card textbox).

Banana Bunch, new (Prize turn 1):

• Add 2 Bananas to your hand. They have a 50% chance to be Big Bananas.

Mindflayer Goggles, new (Prize turn 3):

• Steal all minions in Bob’s Tavern. Then Refresh it.

Arena patch 23.6 card pool:

• Core
• The Boomsday Project
• Descent of Dragons
• Forged in the Barrens
• United in Stormwind
• Fractured in Alterac Valley
• Voyage to the Sunken City
• Taverns of Time (without Murozond)

New social features:

• The friends list will be expanded and improved. There will be a dedicated section at the top of your friends list that includes last opponent, former friends, new friends, your current opponent, and more.
• You will be able to report your recent opponents for inappropriate names, inappropriate chats, and inappropriate gameplay.